eyebrows

Do blondes have more fun? You can be the judge of that, but in the beauty department, blondes can often experience barely-there brows — and that's really no fun at all. Blondes, however, are the only bunch that actually look better with slightly darker eyebrows. To try to go lighter or completely match your brows to your hair color can result in a monochromatic look. For the most natural effect, pick a shade one to two tones darker than the hair, matching the undertones of your brow product to the warmth or coolness in your hair color. Look for: light taupe, wheat, sable, ash blond, golden blond, lightest brown, dark blond, or soft gray.

There's a whole slew of blonde-appropriate brow shapers to suit your shaping needs. But to customize your brow color even more, work with two different shades to get the perfect one for you. You may even find that a darker shade will work best for filling in sparse areas, while the lighter shade will be perfect for sweeping over the entire brow to bring it all together. Stay tuned redheads, brunettes, and darker-haired beauties. I'll have tips for you, too, over the next few days.

Grooming the brows is one of the easiest ways to bring your whole beauty look together. In fact, if I had to pick five essential beauty products, they'd include: concealer, mascara, blush, gloss, and a brow powder or pencil. Not only does accentuating the brows give the face a lifted appearance, but it adds balance by providing shape and youthful volume. Over the next few days, I'll be giving you eyebrow tips, from selecting the right product for your needs to choosing the right shade to little tricks you can use to make brow shaping all the more easy. Let's kick it off with choosing the right product. Get my complete chart when you read more.

Did you know that once a hair has been plucked, it takes an average of 65 days to grow back? And unfortunately, some brows, as the result of damage from overplucking, never grow back. But thanks to improvements in hair transplant surgery techniques, eyebrow transplants are a possible option. While it's extremely difficult to duplicate the exact angles from which brows grow, doctors have found a way to graft hair one follicle at a time.

The process, which costs around $5,400, is done by taking a fine section of skin from the scalp. Then, each strand of hair is implanted into the brow after 50 very small incisions are made to make room for the new addition. Ouch. After about six months, most patients see the full results. It sounds like a painful procedure to me, one that would be best only for extreme problems. Plus, with options like Latisse for eyelashes and strategically placed makeup for brows, there are obviously other (easier, painless, cheaper) ways to bring brows back to life.

For those who don't want to go under the knife but are looking for something with longer-lasting results, there's another solution. For about $760—$1,000, a technician can use a custom-blended mineral pigment to draw in "hairs" one at a time. The pigment fades away after about 18 months. What say you about the pursuit for fuller brows?

There are a lot of good general tips for brows out there, but I've got some shape-specific hints for round faces like Rachel Bilson's to help you create greater balance and enhance the look of your entire face. For my best brow tips, keep reading.

Oval faces naturally have very balanced features, but a bad brow job can totally throw off that equanimity. And even though oval girls like Lucy Liu can look great with lots of different brow shapes, there are still a few things you can do to accentuate your features and create the prettiest possible look. To find out what to do, just keep reading.

• Keep the angle of your arch soft like Lucy does—too angular a peak won't suit you as well, and a curved eyebrow looks great on you.
• Don't pluck too high—people sometimes say this makes an oval face look more youthful, but it'll only make you look like Cruella Deville.
• Don't over-define your eyebrows unless you want to look like an '80s supermodel; harsh lines will look unnatural on you and change the planes of your face.

Over the past decade or so, Anastasia Soare has established herself as the expert in eyebrow grooming. Her company, Anastasia Beverly Hills, has a Go Brow Brow Pencil & Highlighter ($21). It's a dual-ended chunky pencil that features a universal brow color on one end and a highlighter on the other. For just half the cost, Soap & Glory Arch de Triumph ($10) is an excellent alternative.

While Soap & Glory's version isn't as creamy as Anastasia's, with its soft brown and champagne-toned shades, I had no problem using this lower-priced pencil to give my brows definition. I applied the soft pink portion under my eyes as an instant pick-me-up, yet another way to use a flesh-toned liner. I have even used the darker side as liner and shadow in a pinch. Have any lookalike products for less that you might like to recommend? Head over to the Beauty Dupes group in our BellaSugar Community and tell us all about them.